The Mercedes-Benz EQV van is electric and will go 400km per charge

Imagine having a luxury mobile lounge without the nagging emissions-related guilt.PHOTO FROM MERCEDES-BENZ

Vans are simply some of the most versatile vehicles around. Plenty of space for human passengers and any type of cargo from balikbayan boxes to St. Bernards. So it makes perfect sense for Mercedes-Benz to stick a huge battery pack inside a van and make it an electric vehicle.

Yes, regular Japanese vans are nice, but an electric German one is even nicer.PHOTOS FROM MERCEDES-BENZ

The transporter even has a very electric name: Concept EQV. It’s basically a V-Class passenger van fitted with a really big power bank in lieu of a fuel tank. And it’s quite a meaty power bank—100kWh of capacity that is easily shoehorned into the vehicle’s roomy confines. This gives the big van a generous range of 400km for every single charge, enough for those out-of-town road trips with the whole family in tow.

Cars like this make us wish for a decent EV-charging network in the country. Sigh.PHOTO FROM MERCEDES-BENZ

The lithium-ion battery’s fast-charging capability also enables the Concept EQV to be juiced up for 100km in just 15 minutes. And this thing is no slouch on the autobahn either. The 150kW (201hp) motor driving the front wheels is enough to get the EQV to a respectable top speed of 160km/h.

Expect lively sprints off starting points when you drive this luxury transporter.PHOTO FROM MERCEDES-BENZ

Inside, the flat-slabbed battery pack fits snugly in the floor pan. And the cabin appears to have all the usual creature comforts that Mercedes-Benz’s people-carriers come standard with, such as a fancy infotainment system, leather seats and multi-zone climate control. And while several cows will inevitably be sacrificed for the high-quality hides used for the interior, that’s probably okay because they produce greenhouse gases and the EQV doesn’t.

Mercedes-Benz will debut the production version at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Miggi is the managing editor of VISOR. Professionally speaking, he is a software engineering dude who happens to like cars a lot. And as an automotive enthusiast, he wants a platform from which he can share his motoring thoughts with fellow petrolheads.